Madness is in right now darling
Chapter 2
It wasn't intentional.
She wasn't meaning to ignore the familiar Hufflepuff's that sat around her, unable to sit with her best friend who was over at the Ravenclaw table chatting aimlessly to some students that she was able to call her friends, she wasn't much for socialising but she was much better than Estella.
It wasn't intentional.
To ignore Dumbledore as he announced the beginning of a new year, an amused smile on his face as well as many other students in the hall as they looked at the particularly taller boy amongst the large group of students, completely un-phased, and completely out of uniform.
It wasn't intentional.
That her mind wandered, raced with thoughts of the boy she barely even knew, just a name and a face that masked the secrets she was sure he was hiding, he was so...odd, so different, merlin she sounded like a cliché girl straight out of a teen film, but she couldn't help it, she hated that someone she didn't know could have such an effect on her, that the look on his face, lacking any emotion, intrigued her to the point that she couldn't keep her eyes off of him.
Their talk on the train, in the compartment with just the two of them infuriated her, he was getting on her nerves and he knew it, and liked it, the reaction he got that she begged not to give, though after a while, the teasing stopped and the questions poured about the castle, what was it like? what was the professors like? Dumbledore, how was he? He asked her everything he could possibly think of, and behind the mask of calmness, Estella was sure he was nervous, or even terrified, though annoyingly, she couldn't be sure.
she watched his eyes as they trailed around the detail of the hall, the colours of each table, lingering on the red and gold that hung over the Gryffindor table, faintly remembering that he was set on being a Gryffindor, she wasn't sure, in all honesty, she wished to be the sorting hat, or something closer than what she was, it was an ache, eating her alive with curiosity, he was full of wonders and she was irritated at how much she wanted to figure out about him.
Her eyes almost widened when his trailed to her, his once emotionless face now home to a smirk directed at her, a wink soon followed, travelling past students all staring at him intently, wondering who this handsome stranger was and why he was winking at someone that wasn't them, a familiar jealousy pooling in their stomachs, mixed with disbelief when they watched the girl it was for quickly roll her eyes and look away.
But that only seemed to widen the boy's smirk further.
He was standing in the aisle, running a hand through his already messy hair, he didn't have a care in the world. He liked the attention received from the students, something entirely different from what he had gotten back at his old school.
He had a bit of a reputation, people did find him handsome, it was rather inevitable not to when he looked the way he did. He was very much taller than anyone, giving Remus Lupin a run for his money, he was still lanky but it was fit for him, he didn't look awkward, he was built slightly bigger which made him look annoyingly attractive in Estella's mind, and it seemed he knew this.
He radiated confidence, his smirk said it all, the smirk that struck his lips when Estella came into view for him. He would deny all accusations but the truth was that he was looking for her, taking in the grand exterior of the great hall, he thought she should at least be a part of what he had to take in.
The first person in the entire school he had met, and he couldn't get her out of his head.
The smirk stayed on his lips for the majority of Dumbledore's speech, his hands stuffed in the pockets of his jeans, his converse scraping off the ground, he hadn't changed into his robes because he didn't want to, he thought they would kill his style, and he had yet to figure out a way to wear them without looking completely ridiculous.
Estella wore them well.
The thought left his mind as quickly as it entered, his plan for his last year wasn't to think of girls, he did that at his last school, dating slowed him down, it distracted him, he didn't need that for this year. his mother had warned him countlessly that they didn't move here for him to slack off, or for him to get an even worse reputation than before, he had to behave.
Like that would happen.
"Mr Dawson," Minerva McGonagall's voice quickly spoke, eyeing the casual attire of muggle clothing that decorated his body, "I assume you know of the uniform, can I ask why you're not in uniform."
"Sure," he shrugged, "ask me."
She shifted on the spot, eyeing him over the stern look. Theo was used to stern looks, he had gotten them plenty of times from Professors at Ilvermorny, it didn't bother him in the slightest, in fact, he wasn't phased in the slightest by it.
"Why aren't you in your robes, Mr Dawson?"
"They don't do anything for me, sweetheart," Theo smirked, seeing the glare of McGonagall narrow. Estella couldn't help but roll her eyes when the muttering broke out, the charming boy was talking back to a teacher.
"Merlin, he's so hot," one girl whispered to her friend just down the table, quickly adding, "the things I would let that boy do to me." Which allowed her friend to scoff, shaking her head, but finally nodding in agreement as they eyed him.
"Who doesn't love a bad boy," one boy smirked, nudging his friend who was practically drooling.
"Sit on the stool, Mr Dawson," McGonagall commanded, gesturing to the school which moved the sorting hat from, soon placing it atop of the seventh year's head.
Theo pushed himself over to the stool, sitting down with the confident smirk still on his face; that is, until the hat was actually atop of his head, filling the boy's mind with the low, intimidating voice that most students heard in their first year.
Not last.
"Theodore Dawson," the hat spoke as though a smirk was practically on it's face, "Wampus, Ilvermorny, a warrior."
"You know of other schools, then?" Theo scoffed, his voice low, quiet, McGonagall wouldn't exactly be lying if she said that she was glad that the smirk wiped from his lips.
"I know everything," the hat spoke lowly, "like that poor girl, poor, poor girl."
Estella was shocked when she saw Theo's expression change from emotionless to horror in just a split second, no one could hear what the hat was saying, but the shift in emotions from the boy was enough for them to be intrigued, wondering to know what the hat was saying.
Achingly curious to figure out about the boy.
"Now where should I put you?" the hat hummed, knowing fine well that the boy was dead-set on Gryffindor. The boy had studied the house countlessly, even replaying it in his head as though it would alter the hat's vision of where he should truly go, "Gryffindor, eh?"
It was a house of strength, of bravery, of chivalry, things that Theo knew he was. He was brave, he was strong. He wouldn't let anyone tell him differently, he wasn't a coward, he was someone who fought for what was right.
"I don't think so," the had soon said afterword's, leaving an undeniable anger bubbling in the pit of Theo's stomach, and soon did the hat screech, "Slytherin!"
He was infuriated.
He knew he said he would be fine with Slytherin to Estella, to the girl with the kindest smile and the warmest eyes, trying to act calm, trying not to seem odd, or intimidating, or scary...or nervous, and even though she felt the intimidation, it wasn't because he terrified her, but because he was a new person.
He wasn't happy with Slytherin, not in the slightest.
He shouldn't be a Slytherin, for merlin's sake, he was a muggleborn!
He knew the house made an exception for certain students who undeniably had the traits presented for the house in green, but Theo didn't want anything to do with it. He didn't want to be remotely associated with a house that's house founder hated his type, who worshipped purebloods.
The house cheered but he didn't, his expression was one of horror, disgust, he threw the hat off of his head, and before anyone could stop him, he stormed right out of the great hall, catching the features of shock on Estella's face, she could've sworn that his glare ever so slightly softened.
She was the only person he knew, and he was clearly unhappy, very evidently unhappy with his new house, and even though he was a bit of an arse, she couldn't exactly say she didn't feel sorry for him. She loved her house more than anything, she couldn't think of ever hating it, so the fact that he wasn't at all pleased with the house he was in upset her.
She didn't know what the other students would make of it, but she didn't exactly care, so when she got most of the student's attention when she raised from her seat, she decided to ignore it as she pulled her bag further up her shoulder and quickly hurried out of the great hall, oblivious to the multiple mutters of students begging for new gossip.
"Congratulations," Estella spoke when she found him sitting in a window seat a few corridors away from the great hall, "Slytherin!"
"Oh yes," Theo smirked, "the house that values purebloods - the house that values hatred and killing people who don't deserve to be killed."
She leaned against the wall, taking in the detail of the moon that outlined his face, showing every nook and cranny, showing the way his dark brown eyes, swirled with the colour of running chocolate shone bright against the reflection.
"Y'know I took you as an arse, but not a stupid arse," she shrugged, seeing him turn to her with a glare, "don't look at me like that."
"You just called me a stupid...ass."
"No, I called you a stupid arse, and no accent of yours is going to stop it from being arse," she smirked, sitting down her bag and falling onto the window seat. She sat facing him, leaning her head on the window, "I'm sure your ego will come back to you come Monday when all of the rumours about us start floating around."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning that I just created quite the shock when I stood up and walked out after you," she mumbled, "stuff like that doesn't exactly go unnoticed."
"Why did you?" he asked, seeing her bright eyes, as green as ever, stare back at him under a set of long lashes that brushed ever so slightly off of her cheek that danced with freckles, crowded together like a million constellations, "come after me, I mean?"
"Cause who else do you know here?" she asked, running a hand through her dark hair, "I wasn't going to just leave you on your own, especially since you're not happy with your new house, which is odd, by the way."
"How come?"
"You said you'd be fine if you were put in Slytherin," she reminded him of his words on the train, and he took notice of her trying her hardest for their knees not to touch, she didn't need him clouding her thoughts any more than what he already did.
"I lied, I wanted Gryffindor more than anything...just didn't want to come off as odd," he shrugged, seeing her nod her head.
"Slytherin's don't value death, or hatred, or killing people who don't deserve it," she whispered, seeing him scoff, but she didn't stop, "they value ambition, determination, resourcefulness, people who are cunning.
There are so many people in that house right now that are so opposed to what is going on right now, this war that's on the horizon is tearing families apart, tearing people apart. There are prejudices in every house, Theo, not just Slytherin.
And maybe Salazar Slytherin did worship purebloods, maybe he was an arse but that isn't to say that all Slytherins are like that, you're not, so regardless of blood, that doesn't mean everyone is. Some people have common sense, and a lot of them have grown up with the views of their parents, just like mostly all students, so whatever they say, their children are most likely to believe it.
You are a Slytherin now, Theo, and I don't know about you but it's an honour, you're ambitious, determined, clever, you're all of the traits associated with a Slytherin, and none of those traits say that you agree with prejudices.
It means you're in a house that values a lot of honourable traits, so don't let the fact that you didn't get the house you want stop you from excelling.
Hating Slytherin's only adds to the hatred. Fighting fire with fire won't put it out, it won't stop people from burning to death." She took a breath as she finished, trying her best to ignore his intense gaze on her as she stared at his knee leaning on hers.
"You know," he chuckled, "no one has ever cared enough about me to even remotely make me feel better."
"You must know some pretty mean people," she frowned, her eyes finally lifting to meet his, "I only met you a few hours ago."
"I know," he nodded, "but you're a bit mad so I'm going to keep you around."
"Madness is in right now, darling."